Experiences of Leadership at the World Tourism Organization and Current Trends in the Tourism Industry

The School of Business Administration is proud to host a distinguished invited guest lecture by the Secretary-General of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Dr. Taleb Rifai entitled "Experiences of Leadership at the World Tourism Organization and Current Trends in the Tourism Industry." As the Head of the UNWTO, which is described as "the global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how," Dr. Rifai will speak on how the organization has moved forward under his leadership in terms of global tourism policy formulation and implementation. It will also highlight the current trends in the global tourism industry and the relevance of tourism to the growth of emerging economies including the Middle East. Given the role of tourism within growing economies such as the UAE, the lecture is timely in providing an understanding of how current tourism trends would impact key stakeholders such as employers, prospective employees and educational institutions.

About the speaker 

Dr. Taleb D. Rifai is Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Madrid, Spain. Previously he has held senior positions in UNWTO and the ILO (International Labour Organization) and the Jordanian Government. He has also served as CEO of Jordan Cement Company and Professor of Architecture, Planning and Urban Design at the University of Jordan. He received his PhD in Urban Design and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA (1983), and a MS in Engineering and Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, USA (1979). He also attained a BS in Architectural Engineering from the University of Cairo in 1973. Read more about Dr. Rifai at http://www2.unwto.org/en/content/taleb-d-rifai. 

For more information. please contact [email protected].